Driver hands officer a joint instead of license

A man who was asked for his driver’s license but instead handed the police officer a still-burning marijuana cigarette pleaded guilty in Accomack Circuit Court.

Jeffrey Clogg, 48, of Eden also told the officer the marijuana was laced with cocaine. He also said he had a bag of cocaine and a bag of marijuana in his pants pocket and that he had just bought it, according to court testimony.

“I handed him what I had because I knew it was the right thing to do,” Clogg said from the witness stand.

“The defendant was very cooperative, spontaneously confessing to what he was doing,” Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney Matthew Brenner told the court.

The officer, who was traveling on Fleming Road near Horntown, said he was forced to slam on his brakes when Clogg’s vehicle pulled in his path.

As he approached the car during a traffic stop, the officer smelled the odor of burning marijuana, said Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney Matthew Brenner.

Defense attorney Thomas Dix said his client went to drug treatment at the Somerset County Health Department. He has attended weekly sessions and passed every drug test, he said.

Dix said his client had no criminal record and asked that he receive first-offender status for the drug charges, which defers his finding on the drug charge for a year with good behavior.

“He is the kind of individual the statute is designed for,” he said.

The judge also ordered him to complete 100 hours of community service and fined him $1,000 for reckless driving.